Refugee Project — Panel 2: Identifying

This panel continues my exploration of inherited memory shaped by displacement in the aftermath of World War II. Rooted in my family’s history, this work is part of a larger body of fibre art about displacement and memory.

Created using natural dyes, eco-printing, stitching, and photo transfer. Muted portraits sit within fragments of official documents. Identity is recorded, assigned, and marked. Yet the human presence remains partially obscured, resisting full definition.

In Identifying, muted portraits sit within fragments of official documents

At the centre is an image of my grandmother in her later years, printed on cheesecloth with a worn, threadbare edge. Beneath her is a photograph of my mother. Surrounding details include fragments of a passport—her thumbprint and signature. These are markers of identity formally recorded and preserved.

The background is a softly dyed taupe, layered with eco-printed floral forms. Semi-transparent fabrics carry obscured document fragments interwoven with partial butterfly imagery. This creates a sense of partial visibility and erasure.

White stitched “V” forms connect my grandmother and mother, while a continuous running stitch moves across the surface, linking elements together. The thread ends are intentionally left visible on the front of the work, resisting concealment and emphasizing process, fragility, and interruption.

Butterflies appear again here, moving across and through the documentary fragments. They suggest migration, transformation, and the persistence of life beyond imposed definitions.

Identity is recorded, assigned, and marked—yet the human presence remains partially obscured, resisting full definition.

Developed during my residency in Kerala, India, February 2026.

https://maijazemitis.com/refugee-project-panel-1-carrying/

Each new panel adds another branch to my textile family tree, tracing stories of migration, memory, heritage, and belonging.